Aeon of Sands: The Trail
- December 3, 2018
- TwoBitsKid
- 17h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Aeon of Sands: The Trail" is a post-apocalyptic adventure RPG set in a vast desert. As a young mapmaker, you navigate deadly sands, solve puzzles, and engage in turn-based battles. Your choices and inventory management significantly impact the story, making for a unique and immersive experience.
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Reviews
- The game features a unique hand-drawn art style that enhances its post-apocalyptic atmosphere, reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers.
- It offers a rich narrative experience with choose-your-own-adventure elements, allowing for significant player choices that impact the story and gameplay.
- Combat is engaging and dynamic, with a real-time system that encourages player dexterity and strategy, while the magic system adds an interesting twist.
- Dungeon design can be frustrating, often relying on hidden switches and invisible walls, which can lead to tedious exploration and backtracking.
- The writing style, while humorous for some, can be jarring and detracts from immersion, with awkward dialogue and a lack of depth in character interactions.
- Limited save slots and a simplistic RPG system may disappoint players looking for more depth and flexibility in character progression.
- story44 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is presented in a gamebook style, featuring branching narratives and choices that significantly impact the player's experience, enhancing replayability. While some players find the story straightforward and lacking depth, others appreciate its unique setting and atmospheric storytelling, which evokes nostalgia for classic dungeon crawlers. Overall, the narrative is described as simple yet engaging, with a mix of interesting world-building and character perspectives, though it may not satisfy those seeking a deeply developed plot.
“The story is told through branching events and dialogues where most of the choices can have a significant impact on the story.”
“It tells a very great story which has a lot of depth and lets you really dive into this almost apocalyptic world.”
“I like the unique setting and atmosphere, and also the way the story is told through interludes in the style of a gamebook.”
“The story seems a little straightforward, not really that engaging but good enough.”
“There's no real depth to the story or characters, but the game's more about the setting and choices anyway.”
“I found the text writing and story very unattractive and which never created an immersion for me.”
- gameplay39 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring solid interface and combat mechanics but suffering from frustrating level design and an over-reliance on hidden walls and switches that can lead to tedious exploration. While it offers unique magic mechanics and a variety of encounters, the overall experience can feel simplified and repetitive, particularly for those not fond of the "run" gameplay style. Despite its shortcomings, the game provides a charming aesthetic and engaging story, appealing to fans of classic dungeon crawlers with its blend of exploration and real-time combat.
“It's not the deepest game mechanically, and there are some awkward bits to the combat, but it makes up for it with heart and personality, as well as a large degree of variety in encounters and choices.”
“I like the way Aeon of Sands has revived the mechanic: the game allows you to explore the world in different directions and the routes you take truly have an impact on what you experience.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's a combination of a gamebook, an overland map, and a dungeon crawler. The dynamic combat allows me to dodge attacks elegantly while exploring dungeons and finding useful items.”
“The starting levels are fine, but then you wander inside a world where most of the places are very large floors with lots of damaging tiles (debris or plants), with the main gameplay feature being a mix of hidden walls, few switches, and lots of exploring to find the exit.”
“A number of bad mechanics constantly push you toward one type of gameplay: finish the game in 12-15 hours, then replay it over and over.”
“The game seems like it will be really good; unfortunately, it has the same overwhelming tutorial dialogues that contain obvious information you would know just by playing, but then include top-secret little gems of hidden game mechanic information in between all the obvious clutter, forcing you to read the entire boring, discouraging tutorial.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn art style, which evokes a rich aesthetic reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers and post-apocalyptic themes. While the visuals create an engaging atmosphere, some players note that the environments can become repetitive after extended exploration, suggesting a need for more varied background details. Overall, the art direction is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's appeal despite some criticisms regarding visual fidelity in certain areas.
“The art style is hand-drawn and rather unique.”
“A rich aesthetic in the style of Dune and Mad Max, whose hand-crafted feel is today all too rare.”
“The aesthetics are a great plus of the game: AOS consists completely of hand-drawn art, everything oozes uniqueness, nothing seems random or ordinary.”
“This whole game, barring the art style, is bland.”
“The graphics in this game have a monochrome look, with lots of orange and yellowish tones.”
“Although I love the artwork of this game, it can't be ignored that after exploring 3-4 floors of the same location, it can become repetitive - if I was to suggest a graphical improvement, it would be to add more background/foreground amenities in each area - there is enough in each location to tell its story and what they are about, but not enough to remember each location fondly afterwards.”
- music16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its fitting ambiance and ability to enhance the post-apocalyptic theme, with many players enjoying the ambient soundscapes and synth compositions that create a dystopian atmosphere. However, some critics express disappointment with the inclusion of modern music elements, preferring a more tribalistic sound reminiscent of classic titles like Fallout 2. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a cohesive part of the game's experience, contributing to its immersive worldbuilding.
“The music and sound effects are spot on.”
“The music is a joy for the ears and fits perfectly like peanut butter and chocolate in a Reese's cup!”
“The soundtrack is discreetly playing in the background, thus creating even more of an unsettling, dystopian feeling.”
“In terms of soundtrack, it's nothing to write home about. I prefer the music being there to not being there, but I disliked the use of modern music. One of the themes when you died reminded me of the dubstep from Battlefield 4, though far less pronounced. Even if it is post-apocalypse and not fantasy, I think I'd prefer some more tribalistic music, such as what Fallout 2 usually runs with.”
“Sound and music are minimal and subdued: during the game, several scores are played and areas have 'soundscapes' that convey things like the howling of the wind in desolate places.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Aeon of Sands" is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, blending stylish art direction with a compelling post-apocalyptic setting. Reviewers highlight the game's strong visual and sound design, which enhances the overall experience, while the writing and storytelling contribute to its distinctive charm. Despite some critiques regarding visual fidelity, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature that resonates with fans of classic dungeon crawlers.
“An unusual character, an unusual story, very atmospheric and stylish.”
“Aeon of Sands obviously springs from DOS-era titles and manages to ooze atmosphere like the best of them.”
“The atmosphere is also done very well, supported by great graphics and very good sound design.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game boasts strong replayability due to its non-linear plot, multiple endings, and choices that significantly impact the story. While some players may find limited motivation to replay after uncovering the full plot, many appreciate the extensive content and varied gameplay experiences that encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, it offers substantial replay value, making it appealing for those who enjoy exploring different narrative paths.
“An excellent adventure, with a non-linear plot and multiple endings, which gives good replayability.”
“It offers new interesting gameplay, has high replayability, and lots of interesting story.”
“Replay value was clearly there, but I'm more into plots, so replaying the game when the entire plot has been revealed doesn't make sense to me, and the other details don't matter that much.”
“If you're looking for replayability (even if it's not straight away), then this will have it.”
“Since the options you choose also affect the story, the game offers a lot of replayability.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the hilarious dialogue and writing. However, some feel that the main character's attitude can become repetitive over time, and there are mixed opinions on whether the humor effectively complements the game's themes, with some finding it misses the mark.
“I found the humor to be one of the positives of the game, though admittedly the main character's attitude did get stale eventually.”
“Hilarious dialogue.”
“Writing is also good and funny.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, as combat relies more on player skill and equipment rather than leveling up. However, the exploration and puzzle-solving can feel tedious, particularly due to the prevalence of hidden elements that require extensive searching. Overall, while grinding is not a significant focus, the gameplay can still be laborious at times.
“The puzzles consist of 90% hidden buttons, levers, and fake walls, making the dungeons tedious to navigate. It's even worse if you're a perfectionist—good luck testing every single wall block in every dungeon you encounter.”
“The time spent exploring is offset by the fact that this game has no need for grinding. Combat plays out in real-time, and while your stats change slightly during the game, it is your own dexterity and equippable items that determine how well you fare.”
“Good story and nice artwork, but I found the gameplay to be a bit tedious. You really have to be in the mood for it; it's not something you can just jump right into, in my opinion.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players report that after the initial forced tutorial screen, the game runs smoothly without any tutorial popups or freezes, indicating a stable experience throughout.
“Once the player exits that one-time forced tutorial screen, there will be zero tutorial popups or freezes for the rest of the game.”
